Changed
by Fuzzy Lumpkin
Summary: Amanda Millner is the average nerd. After she phases, she fits in for the first time in her life. But being a werewolf is not all fun and games. For startes, there are vampires, not to mention her struggling love life, etc. What else could go wrong?
1. Prologue: First Phase

When school let out for the summer the middle of June, I was Amanda Millner. Fat, short, nerdy, computer-geek Amanda; the unpopular girl with glasses and no friends. My clothes didn't match, my hair was frizzy and unwashed, and I was just an know-it-all geek, who did well on tests and ate lunch by herself in the library.

When 11th grade started that August, I was Mandy. I had grown a good six inches, now towering above my classmates. I had lost a lot of weight, and was one of the most muscled teens in the school, including boys. I still knew computers and got good grades, but the pasty color my skin used to be had tanned so it looked like I spent the summer on the beach. My sandy mop had been cut short and been bleached by the sun. My clothes still weren't popular, but I had friends and was more confident.

What had happened? The answer was that I had changed.

When I say changed, I mean changed. It all started out over the summer, on my family's ranch in Wyoming. Living in Wyoming, it's a very secluded area. When someone gets sick, it's a long way to find a doctor. So when I started burning up, my parents were reluctant to get help. Insisting I was fine, I took a few days off my summer job in town and rested. I hoped to get better soon, but I didn't. I must have been ill for days, perhaps even weeks. Nothing changed.

In the beginning of July, my 12-year-old brother John left for sleep-away camp in New Hampshire, leaving my other brother, 10-year-old Mark, all by himself and bored beyond help. He was so bored, in fact, that he stomped around the house, though he knew I was sick. He also knew better than to disturb me, but little boys live to bother their older sisters. He stormed into my room, and I was so fed up with him, and being sick, and my life, that I just...snapped.

I could feel another part of me, a part that was hidden away, exploding outward. I expanded to the size of a horse, only I wasn't a horse. I was a great, big wolf. Mark just stared at me, his eyes widening and his body shaking in fear. Honestly, I was pretty scared too. But that wasn't even the worst part. The worst part was that I had no idea what was going on. For a perfectionist know-it-all like me, that was dangerous. And then I could hear the voices.

At first I thought it was just me, delusional from my illness. But that wasn't it. I heard the chattering of excited girls, and above that, the scolding of someone who sounded like a mother, only younger...

_Knock it off, girls,_ the motherly voice went on,_ she's new to the pack and doesn't even know what the legends are._

_Alright,_ they chorused, though I knew they weren't done yet. The experiences I had with being made fun of... I lost myself in the memories, only to be jolted out of them by another, higher voice.

_Could you _please_ not be so visual about it?_

Before I knew it, I found my self answering. _Sorry, I didn't know you could—_

_Read minds,_ a different voice interrupted. _Yeah, it's a package deal. Oops, sorry, Lex._ Then the girl's voice faded out, like she had left.

_Leave,_ the motherly one called Lex ordered. _I must apologize for their behavior, _she continued when the other voices had left. _It's just that it's been so long since there was someone new to join in...Anyway, I'm Lex Ginner. Just wondering, have you ever heard of the legends, the ones about the werewolves?_

_Yeah. So?_

_Well, they're not legends. They're all true; every single one._

I tried to recall the stories of the wolves. Super strong, really fast, great hearing and senses, passed down from generation to generation, imprinting, hot body temperature, huge growth spurt...I scanned the information in my mind as Lex continued.

_It seems as if you get it pretty well. I just wanted to clear some things up. First of all, you have to control your temper. Someone could be hurt badly if you don't. If you calm down you'll be able to phase back. Also, we can hear each others' thoughts, so, try not to be visual and think what you want us to hear. We try not to listen, but secrets aren't kept well within the pack. In human form you'll be able to see and hear as well as you can now; your body will be about 108 degrees all the time..._She went on to list the pack rules and regulations, explaining about the Alpha and organization of the pack. _The other girls in the pack will be sort of like your second family. We're thrown together that way so it just works out. Now, as of right now, there are six of us. Me, you, and then there's Sam Lewis, who's my second-in-command, sort of like a "beta", and then there's Kim Draney, Jen Cartlet, and Steph Flange. We'll meet tomorrow night on patrol. You'll get used to our routine soon enough, and we're expecting more to join us soon. Now, Amanda Millner, welcome to the pack._


	2. Meet the Pack

I didn't know what to tell my parents, and poor Mark was so stunned I think he convinced himself he was dreaming. I snuck out of the house with practiced motions, though I had never done it before and used to be such a klutz. I felt more in control of myself than ever. When I stood at the back of my house, I slipped out of my clothes and stashed them behind a bush. As soon as I felt safe, I phased. I trembled, and I felt my fur roll out from inside me. My body expanded, and soon I had four legs. I was expecting Lex and the others inside my head, but it was still a shock when her voice said, _You learn pretty quickly, Amanda._ I could feel the pride rippling through me. The only people who every said I was good at anything were teachers.

_Don't get too cocky,_ she warned, but I knew she was joking.

_Where to?_ I asked.

She laughed a throaty kind of bark and replied, _Follow your nose._

Interesting. My nose had always been clogged up before, but now I could smell everything: the horses in the barn, my clothes behind the bush, the fuel emissions from our truck, the open sky, and something I recognized as my own scent. I sniffed more carefully now, and almost immediately discovered a scent I came to know as werewolf. I raced forward at a speed that should have made the forest a blur, but I could see everything with more precision than I ever had, even with glasses—that I no longer needed.

I came to a stop at the miles from the barn. I had arrived by following my nose; it was all pretty cool. Almost letting out a howl of the sheer joy of running, I listened cautiously to the sounds inside and outside my head.

_Wow. You're a fast runner,_ someone thought absently.

_Thanks..._

_Kim. That's my name, don't wear it out._

_Wow, Kim, you think you're _sooo_ funny, _another voice cut it.

_Shut up, Jen,_ Kim snarled.

_Kidding! Sheesh, girl—get a sense of humor. _Jen snorted

_I already have one, incase you forgot, _Jennifer_, _Kim sneered.

_You're the one who needs a little fine tuning on what's funny and what's not._

_You know what, Jen? You think you're so hilarious, but you're not. Not at—_

_Girls! Both of you shut up and listen! _Lex mentally shouted. I wasn't the only one who winced.

_Sorry,_ they both apologized meekly and scurried away from the Alpha.

_Sam. Report,_ Lex ordered, still seething.

_Nothing so far, Lex. Hunters out in the woods, but that's old news, no "mythical enemies", there are some loggers out— also old news—it should only take two of us to scare them away, and, of course, there's Amanda, but that's all. _Sam finished and gave me a lopsided grin with an eye roll, all of which looked pretty weird in wolf form, but was probably meant to ease my tension.

_You got that right. Sam's a suck-up to the newbies. _It was the high-pitched voice from earlier today.

_How I love to be know as the high-pitched voice. Should you ever want to call me something else, I'm Steph. The youngest, commonly referred to as "the baby". But we all love each other, don't we, girls? _she asked sarcastically. It was becoming so hard to follow all these voices with their constant mood changed and joking.

_YES!_ they all shouted. A chuckle escaped my lips. Even if they fought and were sarcastic about it, the pack obviously treated each like family.

_You do catch on quick, _Jen amended. _But if nothing else is going to happen at this meeting, I'm going home._ Cool as she seemed on the outside, we could all tell she was deeply troubled on the inside. Jen had problems in her life, and she was keeping them a secret from us. Although I hardly knew the girl, I felt offended that she wouldn't share.

Lex, however, was more sympathetic than me, since she let Jen go home early. _Come on, Amanda. You come on patrol with me and Kim, and Sam and Steph can leave. If we get back early, we can get some sleep. Let's go._

Once again, I was off, into the woods. Along the way, I learned more about the pack and their families. It was then I began to worry about mine. Mark had seen me phase, but my parents hadn't and John was at camp. I conversed mentally with Lex about what to do.

_I think you should tell them,_ she began. _We only usually tell if it's important but we have to explain your sudden growth and weight loss, not to mention the fact that you have no allergies anymore and no need for glasses. We'll need to explain your temperature and sneaking out and all the rest. Oh, this is so hard! Everybody else had families who already knew the legends were real. I never thought I'd have to deal with this. Oh, well. There's a first time for everything._

_But my parents don't believe in this. They'll think I've gotten even worse and send me to a mental institution._

_How? You're stronger and faster than them._

_But they're my parents._

_Amanda. You're not little anymore. You get freedom with this, and you have to use it. _Lex looked at me with puppy dog eyes, begging me to understand.

_Okay. How do I break the news to them?_

_Simple, _Lex replied, her Alpha/leader side taking over. _Be all "Mom, Dad, I have to show you something." Then phase. When they recover from the shock, explain things to them. Get them to come meet me and I'll help._

_You make it sound so simple. _I sighed. My life was far from simple now.

_Exactly, _she agreed. _Besides, as I said before: we're family. All of us will help you get through this._

_Thanks so much Lex. You know I could never repay you._

_All in a day's work. _She laughed, but I could sense bitterness underneath that laugh. This time, I fought to keep my thoughts to myself.

_Come on, kid. That's the end of patrol, and I'm sure Kim is waiting to chop our heads off._

I hesitated. _Earlier today, Kim and Jen were fighting. Were they going to..._

_No. we don't fight—we just argue._

I felt better, but something was still bothering me. As we ran back to town together, I kept my thoughts to myself, or at least tried to. When at last Lex dropped me off at my house, I thought of one last question.

_Hey Lex, what's your real name?_

She grinned a cocky wolf grin before answering. _I'll give you a hint. It's not Alexandra._

_Alexis?_

_Nope. _She grinned again. _It's Farhannah_


	3. Summer Memories

**Feel free tio skip the following authors note:**

**a/n: okay, so , I fanally got another chapter up. sry it took so long. Honestly, I could give a whole explanation on why I didn't update sooner, because I was busy or was away or my computer broke or whatever, but I'm not going to do that for two reasons:**

**it's wrong (but when has that ever stopped me?)**

**my friends actually read my stories and would know if I'm lying with my excuses, which would ttly defeat the point.**

**The real reason why I didn't update is cuz I'm too lazy. I like to read fanfics too, and between that, homework, and other things, I just never get around to it. Sry.**

The summer really wasn't so hectic, after I got used to the whole werewolf thing. I became close with my pack—closer than I was with my brothers—though I rarely saw them in human form. I did patrols, ran away from hunters, and spent lots of time riding horses in my family's 20 acres. Becoming a wolf had practically made me alive again—not that I ever realized I was dying on the inside in the first place. But I had been dying, slowly withering away without any human contact or support, and now, here I was, as happy as a newly free slave. I can skirt over the summer but there were four major events I really want to mention.

First, there was breaking the news to my folks. I tried to be cool like Lex had suggested, but I'm afraid it didn't go so well.

After waving goodbye to Lex, I shifted and pulled on my clothes. Confidently—or in a manner that appeared to be—I opened the door and called out, "Mom? Dad? Anybody home?" And then the parents attacked. Mom and Dad had always been a bit overprotective of me, and when I strolled over the threshold and into the dining room they literally threw themselves at me, covering me in hugs and saying all sorts of parentish things. "Where have you been?" "Are you feeling better?" "My goodness, Amanda, we were going to call the police!" That sort of thing.

I pushed them off me (with a little pride that I was able to do that), and responded by shouting in their faces, "MOM, DAD, I'M FINE. I REPEAT, I'M FINE!" My voice came out in a low sort of throaty growl, and that stopped them in their tracks.

"Would you like to explain, Amanda?" Mom asked, attempting to hide her worry that I had suddenly turned into a drug dealer or something—and not doing a very good job.

I took a death breath; it was now or never. "Yeah." _Smooth, Amanda. Really smooth,_ I said to myself.

I lead my parents and brother outside, onto our front porch. "Well, you know those old tribal legends about mythical creatures—werewolves and vampires and such." When they all nodded, I continued. "What if I were to tell you that they were true? That it was all true, everything. What would you say to that?"

"I'd say that was awesome!" I could always count on Mark to break the tension.

"And I'd say you were crazy," Dad said, pushing his way closer to me. "What does this have to do with anything, Amanda? Come on, now. You're sick and need rest."

"I'm not sick anymore, Dad. In fact, just watch. And...try not to faint, or spontaneously combust, or call the pound." I smiled weakly at my hopeless attempt at humor.

As I slid out of my clothes, my parents' expressions turned to almost disgust, as I stood before them, naked. I let loose. My sight turned blurry, and I was seeing red. I could taste metal in my mouth and feel the heat rushing through my body. With a low growl, my body expanded to the size of a horse.

Almost instantly, I could hear the others in my head.

_Shut up._

Carefully phasing back, I got dressed and explained to my parents what little I knew of my life as a wolf. I'd like to say they took it well, but that would be lying, and it's hard to lie as a wolf. Slowly, they got used to the idea of me being more than human, and life went on. We decided not to tell my brother John until he came home from camp.

The next interesting thing that happened was that we got a new addition to the pack. Well, two, actually; Rebecca and Deborah Goldberg.

It was a normal day with the pack. We were all hanging out at Lex's old barn—we used to be in her house, but she's has roommates and they got really mad at us one time when we came in after patrol in the rain, soaking wet and clumsy from exhaustion at two in the morning. We haven't been allowed in since.

Anyway, we were sitting there, laughing at one of Jen's latest blunder. Lex got this weird look on her face: her eyes tightened, and the little crease that was constantly on her forehead grew bigger. The others stopped laughing almost immediately.

"Damn," Sam hissed low enough no one would hear unless, well, they were not human.

In movements so quick even I could not see them, even with my super senses, Lex ran out the barn door and we could hear her phase outside. In less than two minutes, she poked her big wolfy head inside the barn, pointed at Sam, then at me.

With a quick wave, I followed Sam outside, groaning when I smelt the air. We were going to get rain soon, and maybe some sleet. Though I was always at a hot temperature, it was no fun to run in the rain.

We stole through the trees, heading towards a farm. What a shocker, right? That's all there is around here. Farms, woods, and farms. I tried to keep my thoughts to myself and blocked out Lex's thoughts.

Arriving by the edge of the woods, we saw, in shock, not one but _two_ wolves. The nervousness radiated from their bodies and their minds. Lex bounded forward to meet them, her dark black fur clashing with their light, almost tan, brown. The wolves stood up in synchronization, their paws placed just a little further apart than shoulder width, their tails held at exactly the same level, in a wary but welcoming position. Even their minds were thinking the same thoughts. If I didn't know that I had better than 50/20 vision I would have said I was seeing double.

They introduced themselves as Rebecca and Susannah Goldberg, identical and telepathic twins from the moment they were born. Out of all of us, they adapted the most easily to our new life, used to not having secrets and not being able to tell your friends the truth.

The pack's numbers were brought up to eight, and I couldn't help but think that things could not get any better.

Now, as the usual case with stories, as soon as the narrator says something major cheesy about how perfect life is, like that last line, it's expected that everything will then go wrong. But this is _not_ a story. Well, it is, but it's not some figment of my imagination. It's my life, and it's true **(a/n: ttly not true in any way)**

Merely weeks after Bex and Suz joined us, Kim imprinted. Though I had known the legend were true, it was still a shock when we met Maximillian Greene.

The two of them literally bumped into each other outside a coffee shop, and Kim had coffee all over her. She would've had burns, but the whole wolf thing healed her. Scared, she looked up at him, and her eyes met his and she imprinted. I feel as if I was there, since Kim thinks about it nonstop. Max is really nice, cute, and funny, and he's really sympathetic towards our "issue" as we like to call it. Shame he's already taken. We're all happy for Kim, and it's nice to be in contact with a guy other than our families. But we all wish they would shut up about each other.

The last thing that happened that summer was a week before school started. It would be hard to get into a new routine with a lot less freedom, but we'd have to manage.

Once again, we were hanging out in Lex's barn, only now Max was there too, and a boy Jen was dating named Tony. He was sweet, but not very bright.

We were just talking, when Lex announced to everyone, "There is someone here who is a bit of an outcast." She grinned good naturedly. "Although all of us have shortened names—perhaps to show our commitment, perhaps to change who we are— Amanda has had the same name, while she is clearly not the same person. From now on, I "knight" you Mandy Millner, a werewolf at heart." It was a good thing that Tony was not there; we sounded like Irishmen at a new year's party.

I felt so good inside, like someone had finally noticed me for who I was, and so accepted, I was smiling all night, and Mark told me I was smiling in my sleep.

The summer was good—peaceful, but exciting. But when school started up again, nothing was going to be the same, for better, or for worse. All I knew—and still know—is that the past comes around once, and then it's gone. And no matter what, you can't go back and change it. The most important thing is to live in the moment, and no matter how hard it might be, no matter how hopeless or depressing things seem, to never, ever, let go.

**A/n: wow, that was corny, wasn't it? Disclaimer: I got it off Titanic. Jack's famous nver-let-go speech right before he dies**


	4. New Kid

The first day of school was definitely something to laugh at. I mentioned earlier, I think, how unpopular I was in 10th grade. Well, I came back to school so different, no one even recognized me.

I got on the bus with John and Mark, as the middle school and high school were in the same building, and the total number of students in all seven grades was a whopping seven hundred. Anyway, Steph and Jen got on at my stop, and when we got off the bus we met up with Lex, Bex, Suz, Kim, Max and Sam. Tony was older and drove to school. That he didn't drive Jen, his girlfriend, shocked me, but Jen didn't seem to mind. To each his own, I suppose.

I walked into the building confidently, and the first thing I heard was a whispered, "Amanda Millner wasn't on the bus today." It was Heather Ryssa, a short pretty cheerleader, known by those not in "her circle" as a loud-mouthed, suck-up bitch—to which I agreed wholeheartedly. Her best friend Lily nodded in agreement. The two of them with their heads together almost conspiratorially made me want to laugh. Another walked over to them; her name was Jessica and she at least tried to be nice, though she didn't succeed. I watched her complain to them in pantomime, her long pony tail whipping back and forth each time she turned her head. She gestured in my direction, her hair flipping around and slamming against the lockers as she did so. Lily nodded, and in a voice so low I couldn't hear, said something and walked my way. From past experiences, I knew better than to stand in her way. Dragging Mark in the direction of his first class, I was stopped short when Jessica stepped in front of me.

"Hello there, I'm Jessica Balon. I'd be glad to help you find your way around the school today." She held out a hand.

What? I looked over my shoulder. Who was she talking to? My expression must have shown my confusion, because she laughed, though it came out as what a cat would be screaming if tortured, and shrilly exclaimed in a voice the whole school could hear, "No, stupid, I'm talking about you." (There she goes again, trying to make someone lighten up when instead she's insulting them in a voice you could hear from Texas.)

_WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!?!?!?!?_

I knew from the day I was born that Jessica Balon hated me. She couldn't stand my sight or to be in my presence. The feeling was mutual.

Then I understood. _God, I'm slow!_ Jessica Balon didn't recognize me, not as Amanda Millner. She thought I was a new student, and she must have thought I had the potential to be popular otherwise she wouldn't have even bothered to acknowledge me. how could I throw this in her face? Hmmm...

"Mark! John!" They came to my side and I said, "How kind of you, Jessie. Have you met my brothers, Mark and John Millner?" _There,_ I thought with satisfaction.

Her brow creased but then smoothed out again. "You're adopted? That is so cool!"

_What and idiot._

Loosing my temper, I confirmed her theory through gritted teeth. "That's right. I'm adopted. My name is Amanda. Nice to meet you." The sarcasm coating my words was almost palpable.

She raised one eyebrow, baffled. "Wow. That was stupid. Why would the Millners adopt a girl the same age with the same name as their daughter? No offense, but they're idiots."

Time to turn the sarcasm meter up to high. "None taken. _MY PARENTS_ can be idiotic at times.

She giggled, and opened her mouth to say more, when a call from Heather interrupted us. "Nice talking to you. I'll see you at lunch." It was a confirmed statement, not even a question.

She skipped off, her hair swinging to and fro, and one boy ducked as though it were a sword.

Was there ever a stupider girl?

Still, I couldn't help but think that if all this happened in the first five minutes of school what the rest of the day would look like.


End file.
